December 04, 2008

FO: Last Year's Winter Knits

So let's see... somewhere back in September I was hoping to get back on the blog train. I feel like such a flake. I have some excuses, but you don't want to hear those. So, I'll give you some keywords instead: lost camera battery charger, quickie trip to Vancouver, new & intense work project, Thanksgiving, B out of town, insane pets.

Recently, however, events have turned - thanks in no small part to last week's Black Friday sales bonanza. The background is this: Rather than struggle to buy each other presents for Christmas, B and I tend to just buy a big item, wrap it, and put it under the tree. There's definitely a certain lack of mystery with this scheme, but no shortage of anticipation come Christmas Day.

This year we decided to go completely digital and update our fancy SLR camera. I've had a nice point and shoot, but have long been frustrated by it's poor excuse for indoor, flash photography. Given the store's return policy, of course I had to pull out the camera and take it for a test drive before stowing it under the tree. Of course. ;)

So, ta da! I took a bunch shots of old FOs, some new(er) WIPs, and even a bit of stash. Mmmm stash.

Without further ado, behold Last Year's Winter Knits:

Ho Hum Hat

Pattern: My own, based on a formula in "The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns" by Ann Budd.Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky, AquamarineThoughts: Meh. Sure it's soft and snuggly, but I really wish the cables were chunkier. They look wussy in this yarn.

B's Manly Striped Scarf
This has been uploaded to Ravelry for AGES. I didn't show it off for no good reason other than I really wanted to get shots of it in action. B never quite cooperated, and now it's full of lint and pet hairs. You'll have to believe me that it looks super sharp with B's overcoat. Very manly.

Nat's Hat
This was my big project last Winter (I know, a hat, right??) - the copycat hat for my friend's birthday. Promised to her in November, I didn't hand it over until March, just in time for the last cold weekend of the season. Everything conspired against me from having difficulty finding the colorway she wanted, to knitting and ripping it out about four times. You may recall that I was trying to reconstruct the Peruvian Hat listed for $259 in an issue of "Real Simple."

In the end, I didn't include the garter stitch, but the rest was pretty close.

Pattern: My own (wish I wrote it down) with a bit of help from Ann BuddYarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky, Monet Melange

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